<p>Just wondering, how good are the job prospects for a Statistics major? I'm currently an applied math major but I'm thinking statistics may be more of the "applied" that I'm looking for. Would statistics be more beneficial than, say, economics?</p>
<p>Also, would it be worth it to get a masters in Statistics if I do decide to go for the major? My school has a dual BS/MS program. I've heard Statistics majors have good job prospects, and I've always loved probability. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with either applied math or statistics, though of course, I would recommend statistics out of personal preference. More beneficial than economics? It depends on what you mean. More adaptable probably, more original for sure, job-wise it’s hard to say, but salary-wise economics may have statistics beat (just like the private sector will give you a better salary than academia).</p>
<p>Getting a masters is worth it, I feel like I only started to really learn statistics at the graduate level (my undergrad was in math, with a mix of applied, pure and stats, in that order, plus a minor in CS). As I’ve said many times on these boards, the best approach is to take a wide variety of courses (theoretical and applied), and to focus your advanced course on the subfield you feel best suited for.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I was mostly thinking of career potential, security, and salary. I know there are a lot more economics majors than statistics majors, so I was wondering if majoring in statistics would give me an “edge” when applying for jobs.</p>
<p>I’m very interested in statistics mainly because it seems to versatile. I wouldn’t want to major in economics and decide I hate finance.</p>
<p>Statistics is more versatile, that’s for sure, and if you like it better than economics it is definitely the right choice for you. To paraphrase Tukey, statistics lets you play in the backyard of all sciences. I could do economics/finance related statistics if I wanted to (and I actually do a little), but in terms of applications, I find biological and medical problems more interesting and worthwhile, because they are “real”. Finance, to me, feels artificial. It’s a complete human construct, a game where “winning” is (often) to the detriment of others. Working with medical data, on the other hand, feels like doing something for the greater good. </p>
<p>Another nice thing about statistics, is that not only is it playing it the backyard of everyone else, it involves communicating with all those other scientists, learning their language and interacting. There’s a social aspect to it that is not there as much in, say, pure math. It’s also less of a sausage fest, but that may not be of any relevance to you…</p>
<p>“It’s also less of a sausage fest, but that may not be of any relevance to you…” AHAHAH</p>